California Delta Liveaboards

[Silverado6x6]

How is the weather recently? Though I am in Alaska I was concerned with what I hear is happening down there. My mother still lives in Modesto.

All I hear is this massive wave of rain and snow coming across CA and into the Sierras.

[fstbttms]

Originally Posted by Silverado6x6

How is the weather recently? Though I am in Alaska I was concerned with what I hear is happening down there. My mother still lives in Modesto.

All I hear is this massive wave of rain and snow coming across CA and into the Sierras.

It's been wet for sure, but nothing unusual. At least up here. Now in SoCal, it's a different story...

[Silverado6x6]

Originally Posted by fstbttms

It's been wet for sure, but nothing unusual. At least up here. Now in SoCal, it's a different story...

Yeah I think its mostly south of Fresno or Bakersfield. I bet Mammoth is getting hammered, when I worked and lived in South Shore up at Lake Tahoe I would see it snow there every month of the year, even in august it was possible to get some kind of frozen precipitation.

How wel have the levees been maintained in the last couple of years? If this storm had or does move northerly it may breach some like what was it, Brannon Island?

[fstbttms]

The levees have been maintained as they always have- which is to say not at all. They could fail at any time.

[Silverado6x6]

Not to get into a political discussion very much would you say that because of CA and its budget problems that the Delta could be a big ticking bomb just waiting to go off?

You don't have to reply to my question, I don't live in CA any more, yes I fled the lower 48 to get away from restrictions, excessive taxation and mostly from too many undesirables coming in from across the border.

Its not a cakewalk living in Alaska but with its harshness does come with the reality it tends to limit a lot of what I just said. My poor mom living near Modesto fears just leaving here house because of all the problems in her neighborhood.

[Randyonr3]

I noticed They were sandbagging the launch ramp yestersay here at OxBow, and the pilings at the entry of each dock has gone under water, but we've still got a couple feet befor it goes over the levee..
OxBow is on the Georgina Slough, a conection between the Sacramento River and the San Juaquin river and normally has 2 to 3 knots of current moving throu it, Until lately, they have been dumping water out of the lakes prepairing for the run-off..
Over the past weekend a guy I know was out on the slough and reported 9 knots of speed on his knotmeter.. And he was at anchor............

[Silverado6x6]

Wow, 9 knots is quite a current, I bet a good Samaritan with a strong engined boat cruising could make a few bucks bringing back any boats undone from their moorings.

I kinda miss old Bethel Island where I grew up, I will have to try and get back down there one of these days.

[fstbttms]

Originally Posted by Silverado6x6

Not to get into a political discussion very much would you say that because of CA and its budget problems that the Delta could be a big ticking bomb just waiting to go off?

I'm no expert and most of what I know about the condition of the levees comes from the Discovery Channel, but my understanding is that the levees have been a ticking time bomb for a long time. Long before this state's financial woes began.

Modesto has been hit hard by the recession. If memory serves, it has the highest foreclosure rate in the state. With a large immigrant and low income population, I'm not surprised to hear of your mother's fears.

[Randyonr3]

Originally Posted by Silverado6x6

Not to get into a political discussion very much would you say that because of CA and its budget problems that the Delta could be a big ticking bomb just waiting to go off?

You don't have to reply to my question, I don't live in CA any more, yes I fled the lower 48 to get away from restrictions, excessive taxation and mostly from too many undesirables coming in from across the border.

Its not a cakewalk living in Alaska but with its harshness does come with the reality it tends to limit a lot of what I just said. My poor mom living near Modesto fears just leaving here house because of all the problems in her neighborhood.

I've lived in the delta my whole life, except when out cruising, and love it. as for political problems, it a constant up and down delama from the water being rerouthed south for farming to the delta smelt dying off. The levees were an issue, but have been turned back over to the farmers in the most part to maintain..
Because its so nice here, we live with the ups and downs we have to go throu.. Sorry your moms got problems over in Modesto, but many towns do, with gangs that is.. not as much with the general public but from one gang to another and the inocent get caught up in the cross fire....

[fstbttms]

Originally Posted by Silverado6x6

I fled the lower 48 to get away from restrictions, excessive taxation and mostly from too many undesirables coming in from across the border.

Can you see Russia from your front porch?

[Silverado6x6]

You know what, there is a lot of truth in that, you would have to be in Alaska to understand it. What people just cannot understand is just how close Russia really is, though I am in the central part of Alaska namely just north of Wasilla if I were to fly to Nome then yes its possible to see Russia, heck they fly their Bears (a recon aircraft) all the time near us.

Sarah Palins comment was totally taken too realistically, Russia IS just next door to us. And we have quite a few Russians though technically they are more Ukrainian around where I live, very industrial, I drive a concrete mixer up here and I deliver our product to many of their new building sites, and they always pay cash, very church giving folks, honest and likable.

[fstbttms]

Originally Posted by Silverado6x6

they always pay cash, very church giving folks, honest and likable.

That's my point. I live in Concord and the last 10 years have seen a huge increase in the number of hispanic immigrants moving into town. They tend to be hard working, family-oriented and good neighbors. We have a town square that used to be the nighttime hangout for low-lifes, troublemakers etc. Now in the evening you see hispanic couples pushing strollers around the park, their older kids filling the little playground. I think this change in Concord's demographic has been a big positive for my town.

You left the state in part because of "undesirables coming in from across the border". My life (or anybody's I know) has never been one bit negatively affected by the increase in brown-skinned people coming here from points south. In fact, due the points I mentioned above, I can say I enjoy where I live more now, now that they are here.

Boy, have we dragged this thread off topic.

[Silverado6x6]

It was a really old thread but it was one that sent me a notice in the mail of a new comment, I couldn't even remember what my login name was for it, see I wanted to buy an old good sized boat to live on through the winter, I gave up on it totally because with all the situations across the lower 48 I feel I would be wasting my resources there and thus I gave up on doing the liveaboard idea, maybe if a more realistic President gets elected and a more secure financial situation takes hold then I might leave Alaska, heck the last time I was even out of state was in 2004 when I went to Orlando, now its just too much of a hassle what with TSA and the higher cost of everything.

Sorry about the thread hijack, I'll leave it alone, cheers!

[fstbttms]

Originally Posted by Silverado6x6

Sorry about the thread hijack, I'll leave it alone, cheers!

Not at all. I am frequently guilty of going off topic. It's a conversation, not a lecture.

[Silverado6x6]

Well my early morning curiosity has me here for a moment, would it be still a quality concept to buy an old lets just figuratively say for instance because I saw a ton of them listed last year a 30' or larger older Chris Craft, a wooden hulled one thats basically a maintenance whore to keep afloat and live on?

I would still entertain the idea of it though arguably I would rather find a hatteras with a decent glass hull, even if the engines were gone. Because when I lived on Bethel Island back between 1966-68 it was a very memorable time in my life, its the strongest of my oldest and still my fondest of memories. i was but 10 years old or so but so much was so new to me, friends, the fun of catfishing, riding on neighbors go-fast boats, even a girlfriend or two.

What about just looking at a houseboat? Obviously more room though not so easily moveable, but how often would a person need to move say a 50' houseboat?

Is the economy so hurting down there it is a buyers paradise? I live in a different economical situation here in Alaska, I get by comfortably if not downright enviously by a lot of people looking up from the lower 48. In other words I have a degree of disposable income because I spent quite a few years paying off everything I have bought, like the house and land, almost all the vehicles except my new motorcycle, heck I only work 8 months out of the year. Seasonal work, rest of the time like now in the winter I do at home hobbies.